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Food Poisoning and Remicade

Well, once again, I got swamped with work and house stuff. It probably didn’t help that I was sick for a week and boy was I SICK!! On a Tuesday evening, I met up with some friends and then proceeded onto dinner. There we met up with two more girls, ordered some drinks, ordered some grub, and chatted. All normal, typical girls evening. Then we went to see the movie Sex and the City 2. I personally think the movie was better than what the critics had to say. I could totally relate to the ‘quad’. For example: some of my friends have babies, some don’t, and some don’t want them at all. I couldn’t stop laughing. A great way to end my Girls Night Out (GNO). However, it didnt end. When I got home I felt like crap. No other words can explain it other than CRAP. I was extremely cranky, moody, and tired. I decided to go to bed immediately because hopefully it would just pass. Especially as what I ate was FISH TACOS with tomato sauce. If I knew it had tomatoes in it, I wouldn’t of ordered it. Anyway, who does that – add tomatoes to a FISH TACO! A regular taco, no problem, but a FISH TACO. You’ve got to be kidding me!

I woke up and was dragging my feet. It took forever for me to get ready, and then it took forever to get to work. Oh the joys of commuting 36 miles round trip a day just for work. While I was stuck in traffic, I started to not feel so well…internally. My stomach was grumbling AND THEN – BAM!!!!! It hit me. I had to rush to the women’s restroom (at work! GROSS!) and vomited. I hate throwing up anyway, but to add it in a bathroom I don’t like, with people I see 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, makes it all that much worse. My co-worker and BFF insisted I go home immediately. I’m glad I did. I wouldn’t of made it home if I stayed around. Could you imagine being stuck at work, feeling like crap, with no one to take you home, because you LIVE SO FAR AWAY? What is a girl to do? I guess you just crawl under your desk and DIE. Yup, glad I went home.

Honestly, I don’t remember the drive. Wow 18 miles of not knowing. That’s kind of scary but I’m still glad I went home! By the time I got home, I immediately changed into my PJs and crawled into bed. I started shaking in 90 degree weather, cursing at the body temperature flux, and waking up every hour. The rest of the details are, well, you can pretty much guess if you’ve ever been sick. If not, why are you reading this story?!

That evening I went downstairs to curl up on my couch, escape from the heat and body chills, and relax in front of my 42” flat screen TV. As I’m watching TV on the GIANT SCREEN with MY DVR, I started to get body aches. So, I get up and move to a different couch. Bad idea. It got worse!! But, of course, I didn’t want to take any Tylenol, because let’s face it, I couldn’t keep ANYTHING DOWN! An hour passed by and I was in so much pain it hurt to blink. My body aches got worse and I was having a FLARE. The problem is, I’ve never in my ENTIRE life have I ever experienced that kind of pain at one time. Usually, when I get flares, it’s in one joint. Lately, my left hip or in the past, my right ankle. This time, it was my ENTIRE lower body! Every toe, both knees, hips, ankles, and my BACK! Just sharing this story with you makes my joints hurt with the painful memories. I immediately shoved 2 Tylenol down my throat and this is the conversation I had with my stomach:

Me: “Stomach, SUCK IT UP!”

Gut: *grumble grumble*

Me: “I’m warning you. Arthritis sucks and this hurts more than you. So, be warned.”

Gut: *grumble grumble*

Me: “Crap”

Luckily enough, my stomach complied. The flares slowly subsided, but I was still in agony. Finally, the evening came, with cooler temperatures and I crawled (YES CRAWLED!) myself back upstairs to go to bed. I got a decent amount of sleep, however my stomach didn’t want to comply the entire time. Super! Another day off. DRATS! I took it super easy and barely ate a thing for the next few days.

After this experience, Hubby and I decided that it was food poisoning. Why? It’s the only meal where he didn’t have the same thing I had over the last 4 days. How did we know? My FOOD LOG!! Good old Food Log! AND STUPID FISH TACOS!! Actually, I don’t think it was the fish, maybe it was, but I eat and LOVE SUSHI, so it probably was that stupid red tomato paste crap that they put on the FISH TACOS! Another reason to avoid tomatoes. I think what was so strange about the situation is that my friend had the same thing I had and it did nothing to her at all. Some people have told me that it can’t be food poisoning. However, I disagree. It’s my immune system that failed. Since I increased my Remicade medication, my immune system is weak. Once again, I have to adjust to the amount of medication, which means watching what I touch and do. It’s super annoying, but definitely not worth getting sick again!

So, it’s been about a week since my last day of feeling ill and it’s still a slow process. My diet and energy have been lagging drastically. I haven’t been running because sleeping has been difficult. If I can’t sleep, then there is no way I can get up out of bed to go run. Oh the cycle of a low immune system and arthritis. Wow, what a mess. However, there is some good news in my mess. I’m still keeping up with my food log! I feel it has played a special relevance in this adventure. However, I hope by posting this it will give me the encouragement to keep going. To find the strength and energy to get up and run. If I can’t get up in the morning, to go run at night. To do something, other than feeling like I’m not getting anywhere. Here’s to hope…

What do you do when your immune system is weak? Do you take extra vitamins and supplements? Do you go all crazy with the hand sanitizer? What do you do when you go to public places? I’d love to hear from you! 🙂

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Hi, I’m Kelby!

In spite of having auto-immune arthritis for half of my life, I write and share what I'm capable of. My mission is to inspire anyone who’s been recently diagnosed that they can keep their dreams. Join me on my journey as I explore, learn, love and grow in spite of having arthritis.